Behind the scenes.

In the spring of 2025, I embarked on a journey of making 3 different promo videos for UW-Madison's Christian organization called CRU.

The first project was an introductory video of the organization that was shown at every weekly meeting. This video was meant to get people excited and give a glimpse into what the meeting would look like. To create the video, I studied previous versions, then shot some footage at a meeting early in the year. Next, I cut shots together to an energetic song. Finally, I mixed in some sound effects, pieced in smooth transitions, and graded the video. The hype video first showed in April, and was received well!

The second video made was a promo video for Cru's women's retreat. I brainstormed an idea that could bring all of the senior women together, as well as advertise the upcoming event. It took some planning, but we managed to gather everyone and I shot short documentary-style clips of over 10 women. I edited the video together, using title cards and sound effects to make it more engaging. A couple shots were filmed at a different time of the day, which made color correcting a bit of a challenge, but I believe I got them to match pretty well. The video played a few times at the weekly meeting, and we brought in a huge crowd to the event.

The third video I made for Cru was another promo video for a women's event called "Mug and Muffin". I came up with an idea and executed it in an afternoon with my roommates. While it is a relatively simple video about baking muffins, at the end it showcases the main element of the event - the importance of community and spending time with other women. After a quick edit and coloring session, the video was played at Cru's weekly meeting a couple of times before the event.

Overall, my experiences of making videos for Cru have been positive learning experiences and have pushed me to be creative with what seems like simple ideas. Through the projects, my videography and editing skills have grown, and I'm excited to use what I've learned in the future.